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Look at the tesla cybercabs onscreen manual steering controls video
Confirmed
In Short: NHTSA has launched an examination into Tesla’s certification of its Cybercab vehicles, which lack steering wheels and pedals, as compliant with safety standards.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into Tesla’s certification of its Cybercab vehicles, which lack steering wheels and pedals, as compliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
Tesla began commercial deployment of a small number of Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, and notified the NHTSA that the vehicles met all applicable safety standards. However, in July, NHTSA granted an exemption to Tesla’s rival, Amazon-owned Zoox, allowing it to deploy up to 2,500 robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals in Las Vegas.
The Cybercabs are currently being deployed within geofenced areas in Austin, Houston, and Dallas, and are all remotely monitored by Tesla. The company has 45 registered Cybercabs in Texas, and plans to deploy millions annually. Tesla’s Robotaxi service also uses Model Y SUVs without drivers, but these still have steering wheels and pedals installed.
NHTSA’s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance opened the examination on the same day the Cybercabs were added to Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet in Austin. The investigation will focus on the process and technical data Tesla relied on for certification, as well as related issues.
Tesla has not yet commented on the NHTSA examination. CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that Tesla should no longer be regarded as an automaker but as a robotics and autonomous vehicle company. The investigation comes just hours after Tesla welcomed hundreds of fans to downtown Austin to experience the driverless Cybercabs.
Tesla, however, maintains that its vehicles comply with all existing safety standards. The investigation is expected to shed light on the regulatory compliance of these autonomous vehicles and the process Tesla used to certify them.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Like Zoox, Tesla owns all of its Cybercabs and does not yet sell them to outside companies or individual retail customers.
- Tesla’s Cybercab, a distinctive two-seater without a steering wheel or brake pedals, is set to start picking up members of the public in two states.
- The investigation, called an Audit Query, will examine the data and process that Tesla used to make that determination, according to a government filing.
- “For Tesla to slap them in the face and ignore that—that is gobsmacking,” she says.